For more than 100 years, Owensboro Municipal Utilities has provided water to the citizens of Owensboro. OMU supplies water to more than 55,000 residents in Owensboro, to three districts that serve the remainder of Daviess County and to customers in some surrounding counties. In all, over 100,000 residents and businesses in the Owensboro and the surrounding area receive water treated by OMU.
OMU’s newly-expanded Cavin Water Treatment Plant, meets the water needs of not only Owensboro residents and businesses, but the water districts which serve all of Daviess County. The plant has a capacity of 30 million gallons per day (MGD). Plant A, which came online in 1905, was retired in 2020 due to aging and the settling of a portion of the facility.
At OMU, we take water seriously. Just how seriously do we take it? We maintain our own water quality testing laboratories. Our experienced, certified water quality personnel perform chemical and bacteriological tests on water samples throughout the year. These samples are taken from each section of the treatment process as well as from various sites around Owensboro and analyzed every day to assure water safety and quality.
Many believe that Owensboro gets its water out of the Ohio River. However, you might be surprised to learn that Owensboro’s water source is a large, deep underground aquifer on the northeast side of Owensboro. This aquifer contains water that has been naturally filtered as it works its way through layers of the earth. Water is pumped from wells that tap into this water supply. The water from each well is transported through a central gathering line and piped to the Cavin Water Treatment Plant.